INTRODUCING TIM BENTON
I’m a singer, actor and cabaret performer with a career that has taken me from New Zealand to Australia, the UK and beyond. I’ve played major roles in musicals in London, Hawaii and my native New Zealand; toured the UK and Ireland as Bing Crosby; appeared in Australia in both musical theatre and cabaret; and featured as a soloist with Auckland’s Philharmonia Orchestra.
Reviewers have called me “a natural born grown-up who knows how to make grown-up music” (Midwest Tunes) and praised my voice as “beautiful, powerful, emotive” (Pop Culture Classics).
My current shows include Catching the Light, celebrating the songs of Clive James and Pete Atkin, and Scenes from a Well-Spent Youth, a warm, nostalgic journey through the soundtrack of my own formative years.
These days I bring my baritone-with-a-few-miles-on-the-clock to story- and lyric- focused songs, favouring piano-led, jazz-tinged arrangements. It’s music that fans of Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Norah Jones or Madeleine Peyroux might recognise, at least in spirit. I love good popular songs and their deceptive simplicity — the way a clear tune and a few well-chosen words can conjure up a scene, an emotion, a memory.
How I got here: I can’t recall a time when I didn’t sing. Primary-school concerts led to a high-school folk duo and a brief but meaningful fling with Peter, Paul & Mary. Then came school bands—including one cheerfully named Desperation—pub gigs and dance-hall sets covering the great songs of the ’60s and ’70s.
Musical theatre followed—Les Misérables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and more—before I decided I must be an opera singer. I wasn’t, but I loved the music (especially Verdi), relished the challenge and even took a few small roles.
London was a turning point: discovering the close-up, conversational style of modern cabaret as performed, for example, by Barb Jungr. It’s a form that lets me draw together all my singing adventures and life experiences. I’m drawn to songs that reveal stories about people — their hopes and regrets, the things that make them smile and the things that make them tick.
Producer, arranger (also frequent accompanist); Simon Wallace.
I’m lucky to work regularly with pianist and musical director Simon Wallace, who provides the elegant arrangements for both of my current shows. Simon is a leading figure on the UK jazz and cabaret scene, has worked with many of Britain’s top singers, and composed music for major television series including Absolutely Fabulous and The Clive James Show.
His credits range from international tours with the Lindsay Kemp Company to a symphony commissioned by the King of Thailand, and songwriting partnerships with Beat Generation lyricist Fran Landesman.
I also often work with the delightful Jenny Carr.
Classically trained, Jenny came to the UK from Australia in the early 1990s as keyboardist and backing vocalist for Jason Donovan’s world tour. Since then she has built a wide-ranging career, performing with artists including Julia Fordham, Beverley Craven, Yazz, Billy Ocean and Imelda May, and contributing to seven albums by country-soul singer-songwriter Jeb Loy Nichols. She is also a sensitive accompanist, regularly working with vocalists such as Caroline Nin, Sarah Moule and Barb Jungr.
Tim Benton Sings 